James Storrar

©EiE Training 2024 Person Centred Care Work Book Person Centred Care ( Sociology) Many individuals and groups of individuals are treated unfairly by society, simply because they are are not considered by society to be “normal” or “equal” . people who are thought to be different from the societies accepted “norm”, such as those with disability, mental health issues, people with separate sexual identities, people with different religion,may all be denied equality of opportunities, including care, because of these perceived differences. The kinds of equality which can be denied is as varied as the groups who are denied this fundamental right, and can include healthcare, employment, pension rights and the opportunity to reach ones full potential, all of these inequalities have their roots in negative attitudes towards these groups, not only by individuals within society, but by society as a whole. Exercise: In pairs, think about inequality, and identify as many groups of people as you can, who may be treated differently by society, and give the reason why you think this is . You can tell us if you think the treatment they receive is fair or unfair, deserved or not. So why does this happen? As with all attitudes, inequality is borne from experiences, gained by individuals in the way they are raised, by parents, carers or significant others, the way society shapes and moulds our opinions through what we call agents of Socialisation, which include the mass media, education, and work environment. These agents can be put into two basic headings which are Primary Socialisation or Influences :  This term refers to the influence our immediate family can have on how we think and relate to people around us. Young Children initially learn from their parents, as they cannot think independently until they are in early adulthood, and through this process, they soon learn what is thought to be right and wrong, within their society. The child views this significant adult as a figure of power and authority, and will therefore believe what they hear, and will consider these views as those of the external community, whether these views are right or wrong. Secondary Socialisation or Influences:  This term refers to the wider influences we are all subjected to, and tend to refer to society, rather than the family, these influences will include our schooling, education, religion, friends, peers, religion and the media. ©EiE Training 2024 Person Centred Care Work Book Religion: Religion can play a major role in how a person adopts the attitudes that they do, for example certain religions offer strict dogmas about what is acceptable, and what is not within their religious community. Certain choices, or lifestyles can be seen as morally wrong, depending on the strength of the religious influence within the persons life . Exercise: 1. In pairs, think about secondary religious Influence, and identify as many groups of people as you can, who may be treated differently due to this, can you identify any specific reason why this is, or argument put forward by this group for treating people differently ? 2. Can you identify any other Secondary Influence that may in your opinion have a major influence on how people think about and perceive the society around them. Make a list explaining these influences, and what their influence is. The Media: The media, newspapers, magazines and TV, have , it could be argued , a duty to represent the diversity of an ever changing society like we have within Scotland, however, magazines continue to perpetrate certain commonly held notions within society. e.g that the notion of thin is beautiful, whereas being overweight is not, is still suggested in many articles and reports. This is also highlighted by the under –representation or absence within the media of certain minority groups within society such as gay people, and disabled people, as well as sensationalist headlines which only reinforce stereotypes e.g when discussing mental health, such as knife wielding schizophrenics. This can be said to reinforce, and cause stigma, and lead to the marginalisation and alienation of individuals within these groups. The Concept of Person Centred Care: Exercise: Try and think about adverts which you have seen that could be discriminatory, think about what they say about us collectively as a society, and suggest who is being discriminated against in them, or what image they are portraying. ©EiE Training 2024